Page 92 of Whispers in the Dark
The darkness…
The insufferable noise in my head…
The Vasilievs…
The world beyond the estate walls…
It all vanishes.
Because right now, all that matters is her.
I used to love sitting alone in this chair.
Now, I can’t imagine sitting in it without her.
I pull my hands away and sign,Long day.
“Work stuff?”
I nod, scratching at my jaw, unsure how much I’m allowed to tell her. I know Leo tells Scarlett almost everything that goes on in our world, only hiding things that may hinder her progress or frighten her. I’m sure Eli does the same with Madeleine. Although Madeleine usually finds out everything anyway, seeing that she’s one of us.
But I don’t want secrets between us.
She places her hand against the center of my chest. “Talk to me.”
I hesitate, but eventually grab my phone and type,We’re having problems with another family in our world.
Her brows furrow. “Which one?”
The Vasilievs.
Her lips part, but she quickly shakes her head. “Why? What are they doing? I thought they resided in Chicago?”
They do,I sign. I brush a hand down her hair, deciding how to say this delicately. I quickly type,They’re trying to import goods that they shouldn’t be.
“Goods? What kind of goods?”
I glance over at the fire, unable to say the truth.
She cradles my cheek, gently guiding my face until our eyes meet. Her thumb swipes over my skin. “I see the worry in your eyes for me, but I can handle it. I promise.”
I take a deep breath.Women.
A small gasp escapes her. “Women? But how? Where?”
They have their ways.I tuck her hair behind her ear and then type,We’ve been working on stopping them, but they’re relentless. And now, they’re close to gaining access to the Alaskan ports, which is only going to make it harder to stop them. They’ll be sending women from Russia through the port undetected. We don’t have any authority there, and we don’t know who is currently in charge, but we will.
She stills, her eyes appearing glossy as if lost in her mind.
I toss my phone aside and grab her hand, lightly squeezing it. She blinks a few times, her eyes staring into mine with so much sorrow.
“They export women,” she breathes shakily.
I nod.
“I…I had no idea,” she murmurs, shaking her head in disbelief. “But they can’t. It’s illegal. I mean, I know other bad things are done in this world, but this…” She presses her palm against her temple, her chest heaving slightly faster. “This is really illegal.”
And this is why I wasn’t sure if I should tell her the truth. Alina knows what goes on in my family. She’s aware of how we take care of business and make a steady and very profitable income. But my family would never partake in sex trafficking to gain earnings. And my sweet Alina must not realize that others in our world will do whatever they can to make a quick buck.
